Safety device for laundry machines



Dee. 6,1927.

R. H. PALM ET AL SAFETY DEVICE FDR LAUNDRY MCHINES Filed Nov. 15, 1924 2Sheets-Sheet l mama; 1,651,625

R. H. PALM El Al.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR LAUNDRY IIAOHINBS Filed Nov. 15, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2516mg; jfbbertfl Palm woLZ/wm/ h/Inmmm 3 mm a.

Patented Dec. 6, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT "OFFICE."

ROBERT H5 PALM AND WILLIAM F. POHLMANN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORSTO F. W. MATEER & (10., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORFOBATION OF ILLINOIS.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR LAUNDRY MACHINES.

Application filed November The invention pertains to laundry machines ofthe type actuated from a source of power through the medium of powertransmission under the control of a manually operable control element,and further comprising a body forming a receptacle for the operatingmechanism to which access may be had through an opening closed by acover movably mounted on the body.

The object of our invention is to provide in a machine of this charactera safety device serving to prevent access to the operating mechanism inthe body while the machine is in motion, and to prevent on the otherhand the machine from being set in motion when the cover is in openposition.

We have in the present instance illustrated our invention as applied toa rotary machine of the type generally known as an extractor. Thecontrol element for the power transmission is in the form of a handlever arranged to operate a belt-shifting bar, and the cover for thebody is hinged at one edge to swing upwardly .away from thebody. Onefeature of our invention is to provide means operatively associated withsaid control element adapted to prevent opening movement of the coverwhen the control element is in its operative position with the operatingmechanism of the machine in motion, and also serving to lock the controlelement in inoperative position when the cover is in its open position.Another feature is the provision of a locking means adapted when themachine is in operation to prevent the manipulation of said stop meansin a manner such as to permit the cover to be opened,-said locking meansbeing capable of manipulation only when the machine is at rest.

It is a general object of our invention to provide for the safety devicea construction simple in character and capable of easy 0pcration underproper conditions.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a fragmentary vertical sectional view takenapproximately in the plane of line l-1 of Fig. 2, and.Fig. 1 is afragmentary detail view.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine with the driving belt shown insection.

15, 1924. Serial No. 750,17s.

(not shown) and having an opening in its upper end which is arranged tobe closed by a cover 6 hinged at 7 for swinging movements. At one sideof the body 5 is rigidly secured a bracket 8 in the form of a U- shapedframe and providing bearings for a shaft 9 carrying a tight pulley 10and a loose pulley 11. Said frame also carries upstanding members 12 inwhich is supported a slide bar 13 carrying belt-shifting fingers orguides 14, the belt 15 being shown as operating over the loose pulley 11adapted to receive power from an overhead shaft (not shown). A thirdpulley 16 is rigid with the shaft 9 and is arranged to be connected by abelt 17 in a well-known manner to the operating mechanism of theextractor. The slide bar 13 is arranged to be moved longitudi- -nally bymeans of a hand lever 18 pivoted between its ends at 19 on one of theupstanding members 12 and pivotally connected by a link 20 with the bar13.

We provide a stop member or arm 21 for the cover 6, mounted for swingingmovements into and out of the path of movement of the cover and adaptedwhen overlying the cover to prevent its being swung upwardly to exposethe operating mechanism. The member 21 is pivotally mounted at 22 upon abracket arm 23 secured by bolts 24. to the longitudinally through themedium of the release the cover to swingin handle 29.

We provide means operable, when the belt 15 has been shifted to theguide pulley 10 to set the operating mechanism in motion, adapted toprevent the rod 24 from being slid in a direction to swing the stopmember 21 out of the path of swinging movement of the cover 6. Thismeans comprises in the present instance a pair of coacting stop members30 and 31 one of which is rigid with the slide rod 24 and the other ofwhich isconnected with the control element or hand lever 18 of the powertransmission. The member 30 is herein shown as formed integral with acollar 32 which carries the handle 29, and the member 31 is formedintegral with the lower end of a vertical bar 33 sliding between a pairof plates 35 and 36 (Fig. 1) one of which is formed integral with thebracket arm 23. The upper end of said bar 33 is pivotally connected by atwisted link 37 with an outwardly projectin portion 38 on the lower endof the ham? lever 18. The arrangement is such that when the hand leveris operated to actuate the slide bar 13 through the medium of the link20, the stop member moves upwardly into the path of movement of themember 30, provided the cover is in its closed position. If the cover isin its open position, said member 30 overlies the member 31 and thusprevents the hand lever from being operated to shift the belt. Thus itwill be observed that these two interlocking stop members 30 and 31 areoperatively associated respectively with the cover and with the controlelement 18 so as to prevent, in the first place, opening movement of thecover when the machine is in operation, and, in the second place,operation of the control element to set the machine in motion when thecover is in its open position.

The locking means which we have provided for such interlocking mechanismis of a character such that after the machine has been in operation thelocking means must be adjusted into a certain position before theinterlocking mechanism can be operated to movement. This means comprisesan annu ar casing 39 (Figs. 2, 4 and 5) mounted coaxially of the shaft 9at the outer end of the slide rod 24. Said casing is rotatable on theshaft through the medium of a radial hand lever 40 and is suitably heldagainst longitudinal movement on the shaft. In one wall of, the casingis a hole 41, and a stop member 42 .is mounted on the shaft 9 infrictional contact therewith through the medium of a split collar 43having its separate portions connected by a bolt 44 with a coiled spring45 between the nutof the bolt and one of the members.

The arrangement is such that the member 42 tends to rotate with theshaft 9 but the extent of such rotation is limited by the free end ofthe member contacting a shoulder 46 formed at one edge of the hole 41.Rotation of the casin also is limited by a pair of opposed. shou ders 47and 48 which are disposed on the outer periphery of the casing onopposite sides of a finger 49 rigid with the slide rod 24.

Assuming that the machine has been in operation with the shaft 9rotating in the direction of the arrow a (Fig. 4), the casing will haverotated in the same direction until the shoulder 48 has engaged theunder side of the pin 49; and the stop member 42 willhave rotated untilits free end engages the shoulder 46. The machine being at rest, theoperator first rotates the casing in the direction of the arrow 6 (Fig.4) until the shoulder 47 on the outer periphery of the casing engagesthe pin 49. This serves to position the stop member 42 below the hole41, and a. reverse rotation of the casing serves to position the hole 41in register with the pin 49, thus permitting the latter to be movedradially into the casing as shown in Fig. 5. The slide rod 24 may now beoperated by grasping the handle 29 to swing the stop member 21 out ofthe path of swinging movement of the cover; but as a condition precedentto this operation, the control element 18 must be operated to carry thebelt onto the loose pulley, in which event the stop member 31 will havemoved downwardly to permit the member 30 on the rod 24m clear it in theoperation of swinging the stop member 21. Conversely, when it is desiredto set the machine in motion, it is first necessary to operate the rod24 to move the stop member 30 clear of the member 31 (Fig. 1) andincidentally swing the stop member 21 over the lid 6. Thereupon thelever 18 may be operated to shift the belt 15 onto the pulley 10.

It will thus be observed that we have provided an interlocking mechanismfor the movable cover element of the machine and the control element ofthe power transmission; and additional locking means associated with thedriven shaft so as to be operable only when the operating mechanism isat rest. The construction employed by preference is of a simple andotherwise advantageous character, but it is contemplated that variouschanges may be made therein by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in theappended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. A machine of the character described comprising, incombination, powertransmission, a body having a swinging closure, 9. member pivotallymounted for movement into and out of the path of movement of saidclosure, means for operating said member, and means operativelyassociated with the power transmission adapted when the machine is inoperation to lock said swinging member against movement.

2. A machine of the character described comprising, in combination witha body having a closure, power transmission including a control element,said closure being mounted for swinging movements, and means operable inthe movement of the control element to actuate the power transmission tohold said cover in closed position when the operating mechanism is inmotion and comprising a stop member movable into and out of the path ofswinging movement of the closure, means for moving said member, a secondstop member operatively associated with said control element, and athird stop member operable to hold the first stop member againstmovement when the control element is in its operative osition.

3. The combination of a body having a closure, an arm mounted to swinginto and out of the path of movement of said closure, means for swingingsaid arm including a slide rod having a stop member thereon, powertransmission for the machine including a control element, and a stopmember 0 eratively associated with said control element and adapted whenthe latter is in its operative position to prevent movement of the firststop member and thereby movement of said arm.

4. A machine of the character described having, in combination withpower transmission including a driven element, a safety device adaptedto prevent operation of the machine, and means for preventing operationof the safety device to permit the machine to be set in motion, saidmeans including a pin, a casing arranged to'be moved by said drivenelement, means on said casing adapted to engage said pinto limitmovement of the casing by the driven element,-

and a stop member in the casing also ar ranged to be moved by saiddriven element, said casing having means adapted to limit movement ofsaid stop member by the driven element and an opening adapted to receivesaid pin, and being further adjustable to carry said stop member out ofposition in front of said opening and to position the opening oppositesaid pin.

5. A machine of the character described having a movable closure, an armivoted at one side of. the closure so as to be moved into and out ofposition over the closure,

power transmission including a control element, a stop member connectedwith said arm for-movement therewith, and a stop member connected withthe control element and movable therewith into and out of the path ofmovement of the first stopmember.

6. A machine of the character described having a movable closure, an armpivoted at one side of the closure so as to be moved into and out ofposition over the closure, power transmission including a controlelement, a stop member connected'with said arm for movement therewith,and a stop member connected with the control element and movabletherewith into and out of the path of movement of the first stop member,and additional means operatively associated with preventingthe powertransmission for movement of said arm when the in motion.

7. A machine of the character described comprising, in combination witha movable closure, a stop member movable into and out of position toprevent opening of said closure, manually operable means for actuatingsaid stop member, power transmission for said machine, manually operablemeans for controlling said transmission, and coacting stop members, oneof which is associated with said first mentioned means, and the other ofwhich is associated with said last mentioned means, said coactingmembers being adapted to coact in two difl'erent ways to preventactuation of saidfirst mentioned means when the power is connected andto machine is prevent actuation of said last mentioned means when saidclosure is open.

In testimony whereof We have hereunto aflixed our signatures.

ROBERT H. PALM. WILLIAM F. POHLMANN.

